Credit Earned in FIRE

FIRE is a 3 semester experience in which General Education credits are earned. Please read below to learn about each of the courses in the sequence and opportunities available to you after you complete you FIRE stream experience.

FIRE Semester 1

The first FIRE course FIRE120 provides 3 credits of General Education Scholarship in Practice credit. This course prepares students for FIRE stream productivity through training in primary research analysis, collaborative proposal development and scholarly communication. During this semester students select which FIRE stream they will join in their next spring semester.

FIRE Semester 2

Students select and join a specific FIRE stream at this time. FIRE Semester 2 courses focus on community building, discipline-specific safety, methods and skills training while defining the scope and objectives of research projects engaged. FIRE streams meet once a week at a scheduled time to facilitate communication regarding research objectives and progress. Students are allowed to self-schedule the time in the research setting (typically 6 hours per week) that works best with their schedule.

FIRE Summer Fellows Program

The mid-point of the FIRE course sequence is the summer between a student's first year and second year. FIRE students can apply during the spring of their first year to be a part of a 10-week immersive research experience with their chosen FIRE stream during this summer period. This is an optional part of the FIRE experience.

FIRE Semester 3

The third FIRE course is defined by the research-application of developed skills which allows students to drive projects to completion while developing leadership and communication capacities. Students earn 3 credits of General Education Scholarship in Practice credit through completion of this course. Students continue to self-schedule the time in the research setting (typically 6 hours per week) that works best with their schedule.

Transcript Citation

All students who complete FIRE Semester 1, 2 and 3 courses will receive a transcript citation that reads: FIRE: THE FIRST-YEAR INNOVATION & RESEARCH EXPERIENCE COMPLETED

FIRE Next Steps

In the final semester of program affiliation, FIRE students can choose a number of options to help facilitate a professional next step:

FIRE Peer Mentoring Progam Students can apply to become a FIRE peer mentor and remain with their stream for an additional year. This opportunity empowers students to continue research in progress with their FIRE stream while developing valuable leadership skills. Additionally, they deepen their relationships with their FIRE faculty mentors thereby allowing for increasingly substantive letters of reference. All FIRE students are made aware of the application process during FIRE Semester 3 and have the opportunity to be considered for the valuable position.

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For General Inquiries:
Dr. Patrick J Killion
Director of Discovery-Based Learning
Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost
2337 Atlantic Building
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742-5031
Email: pkillion@umd.edu, Phone: (301) 405-0057

If You Were Recently Invited To Join FIRE and You Have Questions:
Dr. Ian Page
Associate Director of FIRE
Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost
2335 Atlantic Building
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742-5031
Email: ibpage@umd.edu, Phone: (301) 405-5849